Woman`s Club Celebrates 75 Years Of Worthy Work

May 3, 1985|By Dorothy-Anne Flor, Staff Writer

When Jan Wahlbom is installed as the 55th president of the 175-member Fort Lauderdale Woman`s Club today at Fort Lauderdale Country Club, the occasion officially will usher in the club`s Diamond Jubilee year.

Though Wahlbom represents the club`s future, a 75th anniversary begs for a look at the past.

Members enjoy doing this and like to remind people that their club is three months older than the city it serves. They are also proud that the club still reflects the goals and attitudes of the women who began it. ``These were women who wanted to do things outside their homes for the betterment of their community. In their day they made a breakthrough and were very courageous,`` says Opal Bohannon, club historian.

``They really got together originally to make the politicos happy. The men wanted the women to do something that would be cohesive for Fort Lauderdale. They were particularly concerned about providing a celebration the day the town would incorporate,`` she says. ``As a result 17 women formed the Woman`s Civic Improvement Association and, three months later, gave the reception to honor William H. Marshall, Fort Lauderdale`s first mayor. At that time Fort Lauderdale had 300 residents and most of them attended.``

As Fort Lauderdale grew from a town of 300 people in 1911 to the city it is today, members have never been idle. ``This club works,`` says Naomi Greene. ``(The late) Annie Beck, a pioneer member, used to say, `If you don`t want to work, we don`t want you as a member.` This still holds true.``

``In l984 our club gave more than 4,000 hours to area civic and cultural projects,`` says outgoing president Dorothy Compton. ``Multiply this by the minimum wage and you see that this is worthwhile.``

The women who are volunteering this time range in age from former club president May Norris, 92, to the ``younger element`` who graduate from the junior club into the senior club at age 40. With fellow members, Norris shares a fierce pride in the club`s accomplishments, values her friendships with co- workers and ``wouldn`t dream of missing a meeting. I no longer drive so I get here by myself on a city bus,`` she says.

Seventy-five years of work have produced achievements that include working to secure Fort Lauderdale`s first fire department that opened in l912; pushing through a stock and poultry ordinance to get chickens off the street in 1916; and promoting the first garbage and refuse pickup service by placing receptacles on every street corner.

FLWC started the first Fort Lauderdale public library; the first girl and boy agriculture organization (now the 4-H Club); and the first Girl Scout troop. Members organized the Broward Welfare Board and assisted in the formation of the Tourist Club in conjunction with the Chamber of Commerce.

They helped on the home front during World War I and sold so many defense bonds during World War II that the United States Air Force named a pursuit plane Fort Lauderdale Woman`s Club.

Members have served on planning boards for every major civic undertaking, planted trees and furnished a room at Broward General Hospital. The club sponsors the Jack and Jill Nursery, which provides care for children of working mothers, and raises money for Holy Cross Hospital, Sun Dial School and Easter Seal Clinic. It provides annual student scholarships to Broward Community College and gave Port Everglades its name.

The club also supports Hacienda Girls Ranch, a haven for abused, neglected or abandoned girls 7 to 18 years old, and Special Olympics, which helps mentally and physically handicapped people participate in sports.

``The past few years have been rough on our club because of the renewal of the downtown area but we have held our own,`` says Compton. ``We regard the tremendous effort we made to preserve a bit of `old Fort Lauderdale` by keeping our clubhouse and property during downtown redevelopment as our most recent major achievement.``

The little clubhouse at 15 SE First St. was once so far out of town that when the building was dedicated in May 1917, president Belle Goodrich said: ``When I learned where the lot was I was disappointed. I had thought of it as being somewhere near the business section. But . . . in the course of a few years it will not seem so far out at all. In fact, business may crowd us so closely that we shall wish we were farther away.``

``Those were prophetic words. Now here we are snuggled between all these big buildings,`` says Bohannon.

``We are extremely proud of our downtown location and wish to keep it the garden spot among the high-risers,`` says Wahlbom.

When the Fort Lauderdale Woman`s Club was formed, its parent organization, the General Federation of Woman`s Clubs, was already 43 years old. Today FLWC members are part of a world federation that includes more than 50 million women in 47 countries. In Broward County, there are 16 senior clubs and four junior clubs.

Wahlbom`s goals as new president of the Fort Lauderdale Woman`s Club are to find more potential members and develop more interest for women within the various club departments.